Chapter 10 – Thought
Qi Yueran hung up the phone and thought that there was some inveracity in it. The tone of the conversation between them was calm and just like that the marriage was concluded. After thinking about it, he found a servant to pack up some basic things and went to the studio.
Qi Yuexin sat in front of the easel as he drawn. He would draw and stop intermittently, seemingly very careful and sometimes he would be in trance. Qi Yueran came in and knocked on the door: “Ge, I have something to tell you.”
“Hm?” Qi Yuexin turned to look at him and beckoned him over to look at the drawing: “What’s the matter? My drawing is almost finished.”
Qi Yueran went to stand next to him: “I’m going to leave with Mister He for a few days tomorrow. Dad said that the doctor suggested you to start rehabilitation, so I’ll take you with me.”
“Okay.” Qi Yuexin nodded: “Where are you guys going? Is it about the cooperation?”
“……” Qi Yueran hesitated for a moment at the question. He said after a long pause: “No, Mister He needs to go home and ask me to follow him.”
Qi Yuexin’s hand stopped for a moment before asking him strangely, “Mister He is going to take you home? Don’t tell me, the magazine’s reports are true?”
Although Qi Yuexin didn’t go out of the house, he would read some magazines. When He Jian’s “proposal” was exposed, he thought it was ridiculous and not true at first glance. However, he had a shiver in his heart now as he looked at Qi Yueran with wide eyes.
Qi Yueran saw Qi Yuexin’s eyes shaking with shock and loss, his heart also dropped like it was weightless. No mistake, older brother must have like He Jian. He opened his mouth: “The reports in the magazine are certainly not true. But….. Mister He has proposed alliance marriage. I discussed it with Dad and agreed. So I will go home with Mister He tomorrow.”
Qi Yuexin was stunned for a long time and the lead pencil in his hand was not steady, making many tint lines on the white paper. Only after a long pause did he revitalized and inquired: “You agreed? You like Mister He?”
Qi Yueran shook his head and replied: “It’s not an issue of feelings.”
Qi Yuexin frowned and very much disagreed with his way of doing things. He said: “When did you learn to be snobbish like Dad? Suddenly want to marry someone you don’t like? It’s a matter of a lifetime.”
“I know…” Qi Yueran suddenly felt like his heart had been twisted. He couldn’t stand his older brother’s stabbing words. If it was possible, he hoped to meet a person he likes slowly, but this was unrealistic. Even if he didn’t agree with He Jian, the old man would arrange another. In Qi Yueran’s point of view, it was absurd to make him throw away all that he owned in the Qi family just for the sake of the illusory love.
“Ge, you should rest earlier today, we will set out early tomorrow morning.” Qi Yueran had some conflicts to continue talking with Qi Yuexin. After leaving those words, he went out.
Qi Yuexin didn’t go down for dinner and it was heard that he didn’t even move when the servant sent the meal over. Qi Yueran could only pretend to be unaware as he was called by the old man Qi. The old man Qi advised him a lot of things for fear that he would annoy the people of He family when he arrived there.
It’s past ten o’clock when he came out of the old man’s study. Qi Yueran went back to his bedroom, intending to rest early and get up early tomorrow, but he fell sleep in the bathroom when he took a bath.
Qi Yueran had a dream. If he had anything to say about it, it should be a good dream. But he was suddenly woken up from the dream with a cold sweat. It took him a long while before finding himself sitting in the bathtub and the water temperature had long been cold.
Qi Yueran felt a sense of exhaustion. Although he felt very uncomfortable in the cold water, he didn’t want to move, so he put his head up to gulp in air. He actually dreamed that he and his older brother were kissing. Recalling it back, he felt his scalp numb.
Qi Yueran couldn’t resist using the cold water to splash on his face. Only when he relaxed after a long time did he felt it was too cold to bear and stood up from the bathtub.
He dried himself, put on his bathrobe and lay down on the bed. He didn’t dare to think about the dream just now, or dared to delve into its meaning. It’s just that the brain didn’t seem to obey and always started to recall the unreal kiss when there was gap.
Qi Yueran didn’t have a good night’s rest and barely slept. In haziness, the morning arrived.
He Jian called home in advance to say he would return home tomorrow. When Madam He heard that, she was very happy. She asked him if he would bring someone back and mentioned that the servant had already prepared a new room, which was next to He Jian’s room and not the guest room.
He Jian gave a hollow laugh. Now that he planned to marry Qi Yueran, the misunderstanding could only be confirmed.
He Jian drove to pick up Qi Yueran at nine o’clock in the morning and left the rest to Han Pinggao.
Qi Yueran received a call from He Jian, saying that he would arrive soon. He took his coat and went downstairs. Downstairs, the old man was talking with Qi Yuexin. Just by listening, he knew that the old man was telling Qi Yuexin not to talk casually, be polite, understand the rules and so on.
Qi Yuexin was facing the stairs and saw Qi Yueran coming down. There was no smile on his face but rather it was a little stiff and he also didn’t greet him as usual.
As soon as Qi Yueran saw his older brother, he thought of the dream last night. He was afraid to go face Qi Yuexin, so he mindlessly descended and said: “Mister He is coming.”
Old man Qi said: “Okay, Xiao Ran, you push Xiao Xin out and wait. When the matter is concluded without problem by then, I’ll pay a visit to He family.”
“Okay.” Qi Yueran nodded, then walked over to push Qi Yuexin and said: “Ge, sit firmly, let’s go out.” As though there were ghosts in his heart[1], he felt that his voice was unusually hoarse.
When they came out, He Jian also arrived. He got out of the car and came to help Qi Yuexin get into the backseat. Afterwards, he folded the wheelchair and put it in the trunk.
He Jian opened the copilot’s door for Qi Yueran, waiting for him to enter and closed the door before he also entering the car. Qi Yuexin didn’t talk, only watched the gentle action of the gentleman He Jian, and his heart twisted like a fried dough twist[2]. He had been staying at home since his leg was inconvenient. Unexpectedly, he met such a gentleman and excellent man, his heart inevitably moved. However, the man proposed to his younger brother.
He Jian drove and Qi Yueran didn’t speak much all the way. He thought Qi Yueran’s face didn’t look very good and moreover, his voice was a little hoarse. When the car stopped at the red light, He Jian couldn’t help but reach out and touch his forehead.
Qi Yueran was startled, subconsciously raised his hand to block He Jian’s hand. He Jian didn’t mind it, he felt that the temperature of the other person’s hand was a little high. He said: “Do you have a fever? Your temperature is a little high.”
“I’m fine. I didn’t sleep well last night.” Qi Yueran felt that his reaction was a little big, he shook his head in embarrassment.
The He family had a private plane. When they got to the destination, everything was ready.
Qi Yueran had taken a cold bath last evening and also didn’t sleep well, thus he had a low fever. When he got on the plane, he was drowsy and fell asleep in a short time leaning against the seat.
He Jian waited for him to sleep steadily before he went to check on him. After taking the temperature, sure enough, he had a fever. He Jian asked someone to prepare porridge and medicine. When Qi Yueran woke up, he would give them to him to eat.
Qi Yuexin looked at He Jian’s careful movements and he felt upset. He said under his breath: “It might be because Xiao Ran was tired lately.”
When he heard Qi Yuexin’s voice, he looked back at him and said politely: “We’ll arrive in the evening. If you are tired, you should take a rest first.”
Qi Yuexin shook his head and spoke: “I’m not tired. It’s been a long time since I traveled far, I’m a bit unaccustomed.”
He Jian smiled and sat beside Qi Yueran without responding.
Seeing that He Jian was not as warm and gentle as he was to his younger brother but treated him coldly instead, Qi Yuexin felt even more lost. As a matter of fact, He Jian was not indifferent to him, but he often recalled the past life when facing him. He Jian didn’t like the feeling of violent mood fluctuation and didn’t want to recall that lifetime of failure.
As if wanting to chat, Qi Yuexin said: “Why did Mister He suddenly propose to marry Xiao Ran? I was very surprised.”
“Although it was sudden, I have given enough thought about it.” He Jian said.
Qi Yuexin fell silent. He asked after a long time with his eyelids closed: “Is it because I’m Xiao Ran’s brother that Mister He helped me find a doctor to treat my leg?”
Qi Yuexin’s tone was a little ambiguous and He Jian naturally heard that with a skipping heart. Then he turned to look at Qi Yuexin and the other person’s eyes bumped into him, but soon dodged.
He Jian never thought that Qi Yuexin would be interested in him. That’s what he dreamed of in his last life, but now he felt like it was a big joke. He was a person with memory, he couldn’t leave the past clean. Perhaps He Jian still had a bit of heart for Qi Yuexin, but he would not wholeheartedly dedicate on him anymore, even the feeling of confliction was too much greater than the heart, he couldn’t allow himself go through that.
He Jian sighed in his heart, looked at Qi Yuexin and smiled apologetically as he said: “Yes, I heard from Xiao Ran that because of him, your leg was hurt. Therefore, I sent someone to find doctors, hoping that your leg could get better sooner.”
Qi Yuexin’s lips trembled. His expression was unnatural as he smiled stiffly and joked: “Really, could it be that Mister He suddenly came to Quanlin because of our Xiao Ran?”
He Jian said, “I’ve incurred your ridicule.”
When Qi Yuexin heard this, it was obvious that He Jian changed to admit it, and his heart sank into the abyss. He had heard that He family’s third young master was fickle in love and thought that he could only look up at this man from a distance, but he didn’t expect this man to be so nice to Qi Yueran.
After a while, Qi Yuexin calmed and then smiled. He frowned, seemingly distressed: “Xiao Ran grew up with me. He is good at everything, but he is too workaholic. I’m afraid that Xiao Ran agreed to marry you because you can help him. It’s a pity that he doesn’t understand your thought when you have treated him so well.”
Note:
[1] 心里有鬼 [xīn li yǒu guǐ] = harbour intentions that can’t bear daylight
[2] crisp snack food made by deep-frying plaited dough
Chapter 10 – Thought
Qi Yueran hung up the phone and thought that there was some inveracity in it. The tone of the conversation between them was calm and just like that the marriage was concluded. After thinking about it, he found a servant to pack up some basic things and went to the studio.
Qi Yuexin sat in front of the easel as he drawn. He would draw and stop intermittently, seemingly very careful and sometimes he would be in trance. Qi Yueran came in and knocked on the door: “Ge, I have something to tell you.”
“Hm?” Qi Yuexin turned to look at him and beckoned him over to look at the drawing: “What’s the matter? My drawing is almost finished.”
Qi Yueran went to stand next to him: “I’m going to leave with Mister He for a few days tomorrow. Dad said that the doctor suggested you to start rehabilitation, so I’ll take you with me.”
“Okay.” Qi Yuexin nodded: “Where are you guys going? Is it about the cooperation?”
“……” Qi Yueran hesitated for a moment at the question. He said after a long pause: “No, Mister He needs to go home and ask me to follow him.”
Qi Yuexin’s hand stopped for a moment before asking him strangely, “Mister He is going to take you home? Don’t tell me, the magazine’s reports are true?”
Although Qi Yuexin didn’t go out of the house, he would read some magazines. When He Jian’s “proposal” was exposed, he thought it was ridiculous and not true at first glance. However, he had a shiver in his heart now as he looked at Qi Yueran with wide eyes.
Qi Yueran saw Qi Yuexin’s eyes shaking with shock and loss, his heart also dropped like it was weightless. No mistake, older brother must have like He Jian. He opened his mouth: “The reports in the magazine are certainly not true. But….. Mister He has proposed alliance marriage. I discussed it with Dad and agreed. So I will go home with Mister He tomorrow.”
Qi Yuexin was stunned for a long time and the lead pencil in his hand was not steady, making many tint lines on the white paper. Only after a long pause did he revitalized and inquired: “You agreed? You like Mister He?”
Qi Yueran shook his head and replied: “It’s not an issue of feelings.”
Qi Yuexin frowned and very much disagreed with his way of doing things. He said: “When did you learn to be snobbish like Dad? Suddenly want to marry someone you don’t like? It’s a matter of a lifetime.”
“I know…” Qi Yueran suddenly felt like his heart had been twisted. He couldn’t stand his older brother’s stabbing words. If it was possible, he hoped to meet a person he likes slowly, but this was unrealistic. Even if he didn’t agree with He Jian, the old man would arrange another. In Qi Yueran’s point of view, it was absurd to make him throw away all that he owned in the Qi family just for the sake of the illusory love.
“Ge, you should rest earlier today, we will set out early tomorrow morning.” Qi Yueran had some conflicts to continue talking with Qi Yuexin. After leaving those words, he went out.
Qi Yuexin didn’t go down for dinner and it was heard that he didn’t even move when the servant sent the meal over. Qi Yueran could only pretend to be unaware as he was called by the old man Qi. The old man Qi advised him a lot of things for fear that he would annoy the people of He family when he arrived there.
It’s past ten o’clock when he came out of the old man’s study. Qi Yueran went back to his bedroom, intending to rest early and get up early tomorrow, but he fell sleep in the bathroom when he took a bath.
Qi Yueran had a dream. If he had anything to say about it, it should be a good dream. But he was suddenly woken up from the dream with a cold sweat. It took him a long while before finding himself sitting in the bathtub and the water temperature had long been cold.
Qi Yueran felt a sense of exhaustion. Although he felt very uncomfortable in the cold water, he didn’t want to move, so he put his head up to gulp in air. He actually dreamed that he and his older brother were kissing. Recalling it back, he felt his scalp numb.
Qi Yueran couldn’t resist using the cold water to splash on his face. Only when he relaxed after a long time did he felt it was too cold to bear and stood up from the bathtub.
He dried himself, put on his bathrobe and lay down on the bed. He didn’t dare to think about the dream just now, or dared to delve into its meaning. It’s just that the brain didn’t seem to obey and always started to recall the unreal kiss when there was gap.
Qi Yueran didn’t have a good night’s rest and barely slept. In haziness, the morning arrived.
He Jian called home in advance to say he would return home tomorrow. When Madam He heard that, she was very happy. She asked him if he would bring someone back and mentioned that the servant had already prepared a new room, which was next to He Jian’s room and not the guest room.
He Jian gave a hollow laugh. Now that he planned to marry Qi Yueran, the misunderstanding could only be confirmed.
He Jian drove to pick up Qi Yueran at nine o’clock in the morning and left the rest to Han Pinggao.
Qi Yueran received a call from He Jian, saying that he would arrive soon. He took his coat and went downstairs. Downstairs, the old man was talking with Qi Yuexin. Just by listening, he knew that the old man was telling Qi Yuexin not to talk casually, be polite, understand the rules and so on.
Qi Yuexin was facing the stairs and saw Qi Yueran coming down. There was no smile on his face but rather it was a little stiff and he also didn’t greet him as usual.
As soon as Qi Yueran saw his older brother, he thought of the dream last night. He was afraid to go face Qi Yuexin, so he mindlessly descended and said: “Mister He is coming.”
Old man Qi said: “Okay, Xiao Ran, you push Xiao Xin out and wait. When the matter is concluded without problem by then, I’ll pay a visit to He family.”
“Okay.” Qi Yueran nodded, then walked over to push Qi Yuexin and said: “Ge, sit firmly, let’s go out.” As though there were ghosts in his heart[1], he felt that his voice was unusually hoarse.
When they came out, He Jian also arrived. He got out of the car and came to help Qi Yuexin get into the backseat. Afterwards, he folded the wheelchair and put it in the trunk.
He Jian opened the copilot’s door for Qi Yueran, waiting for him to enter and closed the door before he also entering the car. Qi Yuexin didn’t talk, only watched the gentle action of the gentleman He Jian, and his heart twisted like a fried dough twist[2]. He had been staying at home since his leg was inconvenient. Unexpectedly, he met such a gentleman and excellent man, his heart inevitably moved. However, the man proposed to his younger brother.
He Jian drove and Qi Yueran didn’t speak much all the way. He thought Qi Yueran’s face didn’t look very good and moreover, his voice was a little hoarse. When the car stopped at the red light, He Jian couldn’t help but reach out and touch his forehead.
Qi Yueran was startled, subconsciously raised his hand to block He Jian’s hand. He Jian didn’t mind it, he felt that the temperature of the other person’s hand was a little high. He said: “Do you have a fever? Your temperature is a little high.”
“I’m fine. I didn’t sleep well last night.” Qi Yueran felt that his reaction was a little big, he shook his head in embarrassment.
The He family had a private plane. When they got to the destination, everything was ready.
Qi Yueran had taken a cold bath last evening and also didn’t sleep well, thus he had a low fever. When he got on the plane, he was drowsy and fell asleep in a short time leaning against the seat.
He Jian waited for him to sleep steadily before he went to check on him. After taking the temperature, sure enough, he had a fever. He Jian asked someone to prepare porridge and medicine. When Qi Yueran woke up, he would give them to him to eat.
Qi Yuexin looked at He Jian’s careful movements and he felt upset. He said under his breath: “It might be because Xiao Ran was tired lately.”
When he heard Qi Yuexin’s voice, he looked back at him and said politely: “We’ll arrive in the evening. If you are tired, you should take a rest first.”
Qi Yuexin shook his head and spoke: “I’m not tired. It’s been a long time since I traveled far, I’m a bit unaccustomed.”
He Jian smiled and sat beside Qi Yueran without responding.
Seeing that He Jian was not as warm and gentle as he was to his younger brother but treated him coldly instead, Qi Yuexin felt even more lost. As a matter of fact, He Jian was not indifferent to him, but he often recalled the past life when facing him. He Jian didn’t like the feeling of violent mood fluctuation and didn’t want to recall that lifetime of failure.
As if wanting to chat, Qi Yuexin said: “Why did Mister He suddenly propose to marry Xiao Ran? I was very surprised.”
“Although it was sudden, I have given enough thought about it.” He Jian said.
Qi Yuexin fell silent. He asked after a long time with his eyelids closed: “Is it because I’m Xiao Ran’s brother that Mister He helped me find a doctor to treat my leg?”
Qi Yuexin’s tone was a little ambiguous and He Jian naturally heard that with a skipping heart. Then he turned to look at Qi Yuexin and the other person’s eyes bumped into him, but soon dodged.
He Jian never thought that Qi Yuexin would be interested in him. That’s what he dreamed of in his last life, but now he felt like it was a big joke. He was a person with memory, he couldn’t leave the past clean. Perhaps He Jian still had a bit of heart for Qi Yuexin, but he would not wholeheartedly dedicate on him anymore, even the feeling of confliction was too much greater than the heart, he couldn’t allow himself go through that.
He Jian sighed in his heart, looked at Qi Yuexin and smiled apologetically as he said: “Yes, I heard from Xiao Ran that because of him, your leg was hurt. Therefore, I sent someone to find doctors, hoping that your leg could get better sooner.”
Qi Yuexin’s lips trembled. His expression was unnatural as he smiled stiffly and joked: “Really, could it be that Mister He suddenly came to Quanlin because of our Xiao Ran?”
He Jian said, “I’ve incurred your ridicule.”
When Qi Yuexin heard this, it was obvious that He Jian changed to admit it, and his heart sank into the abyss. He had heard that He family’s third young master was fickle in love and thought that he could only look up at this man from a distance, but he didn’t expect this man to be so nice to Qi Yueran.
After a while, Qi Yuexin calmed and then smiled. He frowned, seemingly distressed: “Xiao Ran grew up with me. He is good at everything, but he is too workaholic. I’m afraid that Xiao Ran agreed to marry you because you can help him. It’s a pity that he doesn’t understand your thought when you have treated him so well.”
Note:
[1] 心里有鬼 [xīn li yǒu guǐ] = harbour intentions that can’t bear daylight
[2] crisp snack food made by deep-frying plaited dough
